Chapter Text
Nya never thought of herself as an outsider, especially with the Ninja. She had been living with her pseudo-family for years now; invited since she was Kai’s sister, proving her strength as the Mysterious Samurai X, her skills shone as one of the team’s engineers, and eventually became an official Ninja as recently as a few months ago. She should’ve been ecstatic, right? A true Ninja like her brother, like her mother, and many before her- yet, why did she feel isolated? Looked down upon? Not by her family, of course, they continually reminded her that she was one of them, that she was equal to them, but…
“Water Ninja Flows Between Men: Who Will Nya Choose?”
The article headline glared up at her as she stood in the checkout line of a grocery store. She wanted to tear it apart, set it on fire, burn every copy until the words vanished from the face of Ninjago forever. She had heard it before- talk shows with nothing to report, online gossip wondering about who will be the next bachelor in the Ninja group (a lot of people wanted Cole apparently). Yet, after the horrific turnout of the stupid Perfect Match machine, Nya wanted a break from relationships; Cole had come up to her and explained that he wasn’t comfortable with her advances and wanted to remain friends. She, of course, apologized and things seemed okay between them, but there was Jay. She loved Jay, she really did, but they hadn’t been a couple for a few years now (again, thanks Perfect Match) and she knew that he still loved her- it was pretty obvious by the way he looked at her, yet he never made any advances. He never said anything.
“Ma’am? Ma’am, are you ready to check out?”
Nya blinked as she returned to the present moment. She nodded and placed her items on the conveyer belt, paid the amount needed, and left the store. As she wandered the busy streets, Nya could see stores advertising the sale of the latest “Ninja Merch” and television stores showing clips of their latest interviews on public channels, yet as she looked inside the windows she didn’t see herself. Just the Ninja and her own reflection. Interviews of the Ninja, yet she was left out; Dareth even told her to her face that she was “ruining their image”. Shirts with the boys’ faces, posters with the boys in action poses, yet harsh words rang in her ears.
“You could always sell makeup products to girls? We could market you on dresses, they’d be pink of course- you know how parents get when their kids wear something anything remotely outside of the norm. There’s always perfume-“
“I’m severely allergic to perfume,” she had retorted, crossing her arms in growing annoyance.
“Dolls? Girls love dolls! They can play dress up or house-”
Nya shook her head and continued down the street. It soured her heart being locked in that headspace; she just had to work harder, make herself truly known as a Ninja and not just “a girl” or “a woman.” She had yet to unlock Airjitzu, barely gaining control of her own elemental dragon, she felt beyond behind compared to the Ninja. She felt burning anger, feeling as if she was lesser since she wasn’t chosen as a Ninja- instead forced into this destiny at Wu’s convenience. He told Kai about their father when they first met, yet he kept their mother’s identity as the former Water Ninja a secret for years. Why did he keep her mother a secret? Why did he keep her a secret? She was happy as Samurai X, but… but she’s also happy as the Water Ninja. She loved feeling the power of the ocean flowing through her. She loved the potential of becoming one with her element. It’s just when she felt continually dismissed, shoved aside, looked down upon-
Nya grunted as a man crashed into her, almost knocking her to the ground; a hand curled around her waist and held her up. Looking up, the man smiled down at her with a grin that was too wide, teeth too white for her liking, he seemed too perfect and she wanted to get away.
“Normally I would say watch where you’re going, but for someone as gorgeous as you I’d be happy to crash into you any day, darling,” he crooned, tightening his grip on her waist. His eyes crawled all over her body, she could see the horrid thoughts raging in his mind-
Nya pushed herself off of the man and stormed away, shuddering at the foreign feeling of unknown hands on her. The uncomfortable feeling of his eyes wandering across her, the thoughts going through his head was enough to make her gag- did he know she could easily throw him in a headlock or break an arm? Did he know she was a skilled fighter, or did he see her as a damsel in distress, or something worse?
Glancing up on top of a nearby building, Nya felt a breath of relief at the sight of the Destiny’s Bounty sitting on the rooftop; sending a quick text message to the Ninja group chat telling someone to raise the anchor, she climbed on board the metal weight and smiled as the chain creaked and groaned lifting her high into the air.
Jay was waiting for her, holding out his hand with a smile, with a sense of hesitation Nya accepted it and climbed aboard the Destiny’s Bounty, shifting the bag of groceries in her other hand.
“Hey, you okay?” Jay asked, his eyes gleaming with concern. “You look startled.”
“It's nothing.” Nya turned and started to walk below deck, wanting to just lay down for a while and forget the strange man-
Until Misako started to pull out the training droids from storage. Nya shuffled below deck to change into her uniform, knowing that there was no way she could worm her way out of training; with a sigh, she slipped on her gi and returned back on deck. Zane had set up a game of chess against Jay (she knew Zane was going to destroy Jay in every game, not that Jay wasn’t a good player but he could foresee hundreds of moves ahead in milliseconds), yet she couldn’t help but be surprised when she noticed Jay had his back to her. She thought for sure he would’ve been facing her, to watch her train- not that she didn’t mind not having an audience.
Misako let out her first command.
The training began.
The droids began to shuffle and bounce about, searching for their target; Nya felt the pull of the water through her body, circulating and twirling around her bare hands, a smile lit up her face as a geyser shot at the first droid. Her eyes shot to the second droid aiming her left hand and engulfing the droid's head in a bubble of water; with a clenched fist she condensed the water and crushed its head like a soda can. The power of water never ceased to amaze Nya, the weight growing intense the further down you descend into the ocean, carving lands from its ever-flowing waves, eroding yet giving life. Nya turned to face the third droid and she saw the man’s face, the sneer, the eyes looking her up and down- Nya let out a guttural scream and engulfed the entire droid in a bubble of water, slamming her hands into the ground the droid shattered and let out a metallic scream under the intense weight and pressure, flattened the poor droid like a pancake Cole made. Turning back to the first droid, she sliced her arm downward with the geyser of water, slicing the training droid in half.
The upper half of the droid clanged to the ground.
Training was finished.
Noticing Jay and Zane staring at her, she rushed below deck to avoid any questions; flopping onto her bed, Nya pulled her pillow against her face and let out a sharp scream of frustration. The girl ninja. A woman. Always behind, struggling to keep up.
A knock on her door forced her attention away.
“Nya?”
Lifting herself up, Nya brushed aside the stray hairs that drifted in front of her face, “Oh, hey Misako.”
Lloyd’s mother sat down on the edge of her bed, “What’s bothering you?”
Nya’s gaze shifted, “Nothing, why?”
“The flattened training droids would say differently.”
Nya let out a sigh, her hands curled up in her lap, “All I’m seen as now is just ‘the girl ninja,’ or worse just ‘the girl.’ I mean I defeated the Preeminent! I was Samurai X! Yet, now, I feel so behind in everything; training, the publicity, my own powers. I just feel so frustrated!”
Misako wrapped an arm around Nya’s shoulder, pulling the former samurai against her.
“I just want to be given a fair chance,” Nya murmured.
“Nya, we are never going to be given a fair chance at things. People like us will always be stuck behind a glass ceiling, but that doesn’t mean we can’t continue to try and shatter it. We have to work twice, sometimes three times as hard, just to equal those above us. What you are doing as a Ninja, even what you did as Samurai X, will open doors and create cracks in the glass ceiling for those following you.” Misako smiled and looked at Nya’s vanity, the gleam of Nya’s inherited bracelet gleamed in the midday sun, “Your mother faced challenges, your grandmother, great-grandmother, and every woman in your ancestry faced challenges that continue to this day; but we can work hard to battle and make changes so your descendants won’t have to.”
“But why was I left out for so long? Why did Wu keep my mother a secret from me, yet he told Kai about our father?”
“Wu thought what he was doing was right, but he’s made lots of mistakes in his life. I can’t explain his reasoning, but I think you have to start looking toward the future; the world will throw hardships, crude comments, and disgusting things your way, you have to learn to combat it and move forward. Embrace your element and let it wash away.”
“And what if I can’t? What if I’m stuck in a role that’s not for me?”
“You’ve got your whole life ahead of you, dear. That is something you get to decide every day of your life.”
Kai stumbled into the door, “Nya, Lloyd needs everyone in the bridge ASAP.”
“I’ll be right there.” As Nya stood up, she paused and turned back to Misako, “Thanks for the talk… I think.” With Misako laughing, Nya hurried up to the bridge for the mission debrief, unaware of the upcoming chaos it would bring.
***
Nya couldn’t believe they were in a hospital room rather than chasing down Clouse in Stiix, though seeing the smile on the child’s face did lighten her heart just a bit; Jay and Lloyd were joking around with the child (she believed his name was Nelson) while Zane and Cole wandered the floor, saying hello to the other children on the floor. Kai, Nya noticed, was still struggling to understand his new smartphone; the others had just recently convinced him to upgrade from an ancient flip phone to the touchscreen and it led to some rather unfortunately timed miscalls and embarrassing pictures.
“I just wanna take a nice picture,” he hissed to himself.
Nya glanced up at the clock hanging by the doorway and silently cursed; they should’ve been halfway to Stiix by now, yet they were still in Ninjago City- the complete opposite end of the coastline. She reached over and yanked on Lloyd’s sleeve, whispering, “We really need to get going.”
Nodding, Lloyd turned and started wrapping up their meeting; though the sadness in Nelson’s eyes was enough to melt the coldest heart in the Glacier Barrens, she knew it was time to go. Being a Ninja meant always being on the clock, ready for the next battle; though seeing smiles on kids’ faces was always wonderful. She and the other ninja started to say their goodbyes and began their walk towards the rooftop. That was until Nya felt a small hand wrap around her’s. Glancing down, she wasn’t quite expecting to see a young girl looking up at her with the widest, brightest eyes she had ever seen.
“I… uh, hi Miss Ninja,” she said, revealing the missing front tooth in her grin.
Nya couldn’t help but smile and kneel down to the girl’s height. “Hello, what’s your name?”
“I’m Cece! Wanna see my drawings?” Before Nya could respond, Cece (limping) led Nya inside her hospital room, revealing walls covered in dozens of drawings of the Ninja team. Nya could recognize several of their adventures, even herself as Samurai X battling the Great Devourer. “You’re my hero, Miss Ninja! I wanna be a ninja just like you when I’m all better! That’s what my mama says.”
Nya placed a hand on Cece’s shoulder, “You’re already a ninja in my eyes, Cece. Just keep fighting and you’ll be the best warrior someday, maybe even surpassing me and Lloyd.”
Cece gaped at her, then pulled Nya into a tight hug, her feeble body shaking with gentle tears, “Thank you for seeing us, Miss Ninja.”
“Thank you for coming to see me. I hope we can see each other again someday.” With a final smile, Nya left the room and rejoined her teammates by the rooftop entrance; feeling the power of water flowing through her veins, a roar in her ears, and excitement leaping in her heart the elemental beast thundered to life underneath her feet lifting Nya high into the air. The great oceanic beast roared and shuddered, sending droplets of seawater spitting onto the rooftop and hissing as it connected to Kai’s inferno of a dragon.
The six dragons took off into the sun-filled sky; soaring across the rolling hills shifting into rice fields, to forests and tree lines reaching out for the dragons’ feet, eventually leading to the mountain range diving into the flat seaside shoreline. As each of the dragons landed on the outskirts of the rickety port-side town, Nya could barely stand; she quickly realized she might’ve pushed herself slightly beyond her limits in a cross-country flight. Jay managed to catch her before she could collapse face-first into the dirt- was the world spinning faster than normal? Oh no, she might puke.
“Easy, Nya,” Jay murmured, easing her to her knees. “Just breathe.”
“Does anyone have a bottle of water?” Kai asked the group.
Zane placed a small rock of ice near the base of her neck, she shuddered at the droplets tracing down her neck and back.
Nya waved off the group, “Go look for Clouse.” Another wave of nausea rolled over her. “I’ll catch up… in a sec…”
She could sense their hesitation, just for the briefest second, but the job of being a ninja came first and foremost. Jay stayed by her side rubbing gentle circles on her back. She couldn’t lie, it was nice to have him beside her. When the world no longer spun faster than a spinjitzu tornado around her, she finally looked up and gave a weak thumbs up. Jay grinned and guided her to her feet, once she was stable and not threatening to fall on her face Jay let go and took a careful step back, though she could sense he was ready to catch her if the time came. Together, the pair silently walked down into the village of Stiix- until the Ninja came sprinting and stumbling towards them.
“We’ve got a major problem,” Cole hissed. “Stiix hates us.”
“What? Why? We saved them from the Preeminent!” Jay retorted, looking rather offended.
“They’re pretty ticked off about the damage left from the ghosts,” Kai replied. “There’s wanted posters of us all over the place.” Kai couldn’t help but let out a small smile, “At least they got my good side in the photos.”
Nya slapped Kai’s arm. “Now’s not the time.” She looked down at the town and hummed; they had to search the town but how? They couldn’t use their dragons, that would draw too much attention. They couldn’t walk into town and hide in the shadows, not only was it still daytime but someone would notice them slinking about. Then, movement caught her eyes; clothing lines with numerous shirts, pants, and jackets fluttering in the sea-filled breeze. Gesturing to the clothes, the group of six snuck their way towards the lines and covered any color of their gis that would give them away. Sometimes having an identity connected to a vivid color is rather detrimental to being a ninja.
After their colors and uniforms were hidden, they took apart their hoods and covered their hair; once everyone deemed themselves “camouflaged” they carefully made their way back into town. Nya’s gaze jumped from object to person to rooftop in case someone noticed six strangers suddenly waltzing into the village, a hand constantly ready on the hilt of her dagger underneath her “borrowed” jacket. The group split up to cover more ground. Nya peeked into homes, catching glimpses of families playing in living rooms, or elderly men and women reading together, or empty homes- yet, she could see the damage on homes from the Preeminent’s rage. Blankets covering broken windows; hastily repaired boards over rooftops; curtains instead of doors; even large portions of the docks supporting the homes were missing. Large two-by-fours created rickety pathways across the gaps, the sounds of the ocean calmed the frazzled nerves of being in “enemy” territory.
Yet, no sign of Clouse.
Nya tapped her earpiece and in a hushed tone asked, “Anyone find anything?”
“Nope.”
“Nada.”
“Zero evidence of Clouse located.”
“Nothing, but you guys might wanna come to my location,” Kai said. Following Kai’s location, she met up with the rest of the group in an area full of outdoor tables and restaurants serving different types of fish; Kai was staring at a small CRT television screen hanging by one of the restaurant windows.
“Crimewave of the Century!” the news anchor announced. “Heroes turned thieves overnight! Reports from all across Ninjago reveal crimes made by the Ninja- from Lloyd Garmadon robbing the Ninjago State Bank-“
Lloyd stumbled and stuttered, “That looks like me? How is that possible?!”
“To Zane Julien causing chaos and destruction at Mega Monster Amusement Park-“
Zane recoiled at the sight. “I have done no such thing!”
“Someone is impersonating us!” Cole cried, his ghostly form flickering from the panic.
Jay paled as his parents made an appearance on the news, “I didn’t do it, Pa! I didn’t do it!”
A Stiix resident slammed his mug onto the table, “Those lousy Ninja waltz into our home, destroy the place, claim they ‘saved the day’, and think they’re better than us normal people. Now the fame’s gone to their heads!”
“Some heroes, am I right? Thinking they’re above the law since they’ve got ‘magic!’”
“If I ever see those stinkin’ ninjas, I’ll wring their necks and throw them into the ocean!”
The Ninja took a step back, huddling together for protection; Lloyd reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone while the police commissioner over the television proclaimed his mission in capturing the Ninja. “Mom, we need the Bounty at Stiix ASAP. We’re in a bit of a jam.”
Nya could overhear Misako replying that she was on her way, but her attention was quickly drawn to a villager staring them down. Realizing his phone was in his hand, catching the briefest glance of 9-1-1 on the screen, Nya scrambled to her feet and hissed, “We need to go now.”
“Is that-?”
“It's the Ninja! Get them!”
“I believe it’s time to go,” Zane said, the air around him starting to drop in temperature, flurries starting to flutter and gather by his feet. Without another word, the six Ninja took off sprinting through the winding alleyways of Stiix; one by one they leaped onto the creaky rooftops, stumbling and tripping over loose tiles or holes catching their feet. The civilians chased the group, throwing anything they could at them- Nya barely dodged a can of beans being thrown at her head. As if it couldn’t get worse, the police had started their own search for them- how they managed to get to Stiix so quickly was beyond her.
Nya’s foot slipped out from underneath her. With a yelp, she slipped down the rooftop, her hands scrambling for any grasp before being caught by Kai, worry clear in his eyes.
Cole’s form started to flicker and fade as his panicked breaths grew louder and frantic, Zane reached over and gripped Cole’s hand the best he could. “Focus on me, focus on me, Cole,” Zane whispered, keeping his gaze locked firmly on the master of earth.
“We’re surrounded!” Jay cried. “What do we do?!”
“We need to find shelter until my mom gets here,” Lloyd replied. “Cole, you said you can turn invisible right? Can you hide while we go under the boardwalk?”
Cole took in a shaky breath, “I can try.”
“Keep your radio on, find a shadow, stay safe.”
Everyone but Cole followed Lloyd back down onto the boardwalk, the rickety sea-soaked boards trembled and shuddered from the approaching stampede of angry villagers; with a quick spin of his inferno of a tornado, Kai burned a hole through the floor, and everyone dove underneath. Clinging to the support posts, Nya’s breath trembled while the angered crowd arrived.
“They’re under us! Get the cranes!”
The cranes? They don’t mean-
The massive iron claws of the scaffolding crane crashed through the floorboards several feet to Jay’s left, earning a rather loud shriek from the master of lightning himself. The team leaped from support beam to support beam, barely holding onto the slimy moss-covered boards, the roaring waves several feet below reached up to grab at their scrambling feet; a second crane dropped, nearly sending Zane into the ocean from the shockwave. A third crane dropped, Nya barely had time to scramble back before she would’ve been crushed. When the fourth dropped, Lloyd frantically waved everyone to climb onto the claw; holding on and praying to whoever would listen that they wouldn’t be caught, as the group rose into the air, breathing a sigh of relief when no one caught them, Cole radioed that he was on his way over.
In the distance, the Destiny’s Bounty roared into sight; the familiar ancient ship raced towards the stranded Ninja at top speed, Misako’s voice crackled through the radio, “I’m almost there. I can see you- who are- No!” The Bounty suddenly took a nose dive into the water, crashing into the waves as the engines sputtered and dissipated; the tidal wave nearly shook the entire village from its immense power.
“Mom!” Lloyd shrieked, airjitzu-ing his way towards the ship. Cole, Zane, and Kai quickly followed after him.
Nya paused. She hadn’t learned airjitzu yet! What was she going to do?! Jay turned to her and held out his hand, a smile on his face as he waited patiently for her answer. “It’s okay, I won’t let you fall.”
Taking in a deep breath, Nya reached out and held Jay’s hand; she was pulled against his body as the familiar airjitzu tornado roared to life around the pair. Nya didn’t like to admit it, but her grip on Jay tightened as their feet left the crane and the safety of the ground. Only a few moments later the pair landed on the deck of the Bounty and Nya stumbled a few feet back to regain her footing. Everything froze when she heard Lloyd sobbing. Sprinting to the bridge with Jay beside her, she saw Lloyd in Kai’s arms, shaking and sobbing, with Kai rubbing gentle circles on his back.
Zane approached the pair and murmured, “Misako’s missing. There’s no trace of her.” He glanced behind them, the glow of police lights glared in his eyes. “We don’t have much time. We can’t take the Bounty, it’s too easy to trace.”
“What do we do now?” Nya asked.
“We have to split up, find shelter for a bit until everything calms down,” Zane said.
“Split up?! Everything terrible happens when we split up!” Jay cried. “Yang’s Temple-“ Cole flinched. “Chen’s Tournament-“ Kai looked away. “The Island of Darkness-“ Nya’s stomach sank. She hated being reminded of the Dark Matter. “Morro-“
“We get it, Jay!” Kai snapped. “It’s not like we have a choice with this!”
“One minute before the Bounty is breached,” Zane urged.
“We have to go. Keep your receivers on, see you soon and stay safe.” Kai picked up Lloyd and disappeared into the twilight sky. Zane and Cole followed. Nya curled up against Jay once more and the pair (hesitantly) abandoned their home, watching as the Destiny’s Bounty was engulfed and overrun with police. The Ninja were framed by some unknown force, Misako vanished off of the face of Ninjago, and now they were homeless and hopeless. How could things get any worse?